Training camp is nearing, and with a few more weeks of dead time during the quietest part of the NFL offseason, Chargers Wire is endeavoring to document each of Los Angeles’ players before it kicks off.
Cornerback J.C. Jackson was the most prized free agent of the 2022 class and signed with the Chargers to shore up the team’s already-established secondary, inking a five-year contract worth $82.5 million.
Unfortunately, a torn patellar tendon in his right knee in Week 7 ended his first campaign with the team.
Before the injury, it still wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Jackson as he struggled to find his footing in Brandon Staley’s defense, leading to him getting benched.
Jackson has been working hard to get back to full health and he is optimistic that he will be back by training camp.
If he can return to form after recovering from the brutal injury, Los Angeles’ defense could be among the best in the NFL.
Contract (2023): $12,000,000 base salary, $5,000,000 prorated bonus, $17,000,000 cap hit.
Acquired: Jackson signed a contract with the Chargers as a free agent in 2022 in a move that came to define Los Angeles’ offseason.
Quote: Brandon Staley on Jackson’s comfort within his defensive scheme:
“It’s an important point because when you transition these players from other teams, it’s a big aspect. He’s doing the job that he’s done his whole career, in terms of covering the number one receivers. That’s what we brought him here to do. Fundamentally, we’re asking him to do the things that he’s done his whole career, just it’s with us. I think it’s just getting that comfort zone of being around the guys that you play with. It’s not an individual sport. I think that people underestimate the transition for players because it’s much more challenging in football to transition to a new team. I think you’ve seen it with quarterbacks that have transitioned to new teams. He is the player that we signed, we know that. I’m confident that in training camp, once he gets to working with his teammates, that he’ll be able to showcase the real player that he is.”
Highlight:
JC Jackson is an interception machine. #ForeverNE
📺: #NEvsNYJ on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/Vzo9csP4Z0— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2021
